A Very Russian Christmas (14 page)

It pained Danny to see Macy trapped in her hand-to-mouth existence with that asshole of a father ruining any opportunities she might have to escape. At eighteen, she should have been focused on picking a college and chasing her dreams, not clipping coupons and cooking meals and lugging baskets of laundry between her home and the complex’s facilities halfway down the block. He had assumed they had been forced to sell their own washer and dryer set or couldn’t afford whatever repairs they needed.

Unlocking his front door, Danny could hear the sounds of two young kids playing and a baby crying next door. The mother had given birth five months ago. He tried not to think about what that woman must go through having that fat, drunk fuck pawing all over her at night. Despite how disgusting Burt was to him, the newest addition to the family, a baby girl named Daisy, was very cute.

Inside his home, Danny tossed his keys into the bowl on the table near the door and loaded up his arms with the gifts he had chosen. Earlier in the week, he had taken the presents to Vivian’s studio where she had helped him wrap them. Like everything she touched, Vivi had turned the gifts into works of art with the neatly tied ribbons and hand drawn tags signed in exquisite calligraphy by Santa Claus. Guilt gnawed at him when he thought about how much work Vivi had put into each gift and how quickly the tiny hands next door would rip into and shred the paper.

Feeling a bit giddy inside, Danny carted the gifts to the townhouse where there the Garner family lived and stacked them in a sort of pyramid shape atop the welcome mat. Not wanting to have an awkward run-in with the family, he rang the doorbell and ran like hell. Safely inside his house, he pressed his ear to the wall and listened. From the excited cries and laughter, the boxes filled with toys had made two little children very happy.

Pleased with their reaction to his surprise, he slipped out of his jacket, kicked off his shoes, set aside the piece Kostya had given him and filled a kettle with water. The steam was just beginning to whistle through the spout when he heard a knock at his door. He switched off the heat and picked up the pistol, just in case. A quick peek through the peephole assured him that he didn’t need it.

After hiding the pistol in the pocket of his jacket, he unlocked and opened his door. Looking anxious and chilled, Macy stood on his welcome mat in just her faded flannel pajama bottoms and a Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt dotted with stains old and new. The oversized top swallowed her small frame and caused a pang of sadness to filter through him. He was hit by the possessive urge to make her his girlfriend so he could shower her with pretty things that had never been cast off from anyone else. He wanted to be able to give her some ease and comfort after such a tough start in life.

“Macy! Come inside. It’s freezing.” He stepped aside and gestured for her to enter the living room. She seemed hesitant, but a frigid blast of wind convinced her to overcome her hear of being alone with him. He shut the door and asked, “Did you need something?”

“Um, Danny,” she said while nervously pushing long strands of that coppery hair behind her ear, “did you leave those gifts at our door?”

“No.” He lied with a straight face. “Someone left gifts? Just like that?”

“Yeah.” She eyed him suspiciously. “You’re sure it wasn’t you?”

He laughed. “Macy, I would remember going Christmas shopping.” Playing along with the ruse, his brow furrowed. “There weren’t any tags on the gifts?”

“They were sent from Santa Claus, apparently.” She kept those sky blue eyes narrowed. “If it was you, I just wanted to say thank you.” She pinched the worn fabric of her shirt between her fingers and worked it back and forth. “It’s been a tight year, with Daisy coming and Dad out of work and Janie taking maternity leave. There, uh, there wasn’t much money left over for Christmas so the gifts from Santa Claus mean a lot to Colt and Hannah. Janie started crying when she found the gift cards for gas and groceries.” Her gaze remained trained on the floor as she confessed, “The gift cards for books and clothes were something I really wanted too.”

His heart ached for her. Not for the first time, he was tempted to come clean about his feelings and ask her to let him help her. Eighteen and twenty-four weren’t too far apart but he knew what people would say. They would think he was taking advantage of her innocence and inexperience. While he doubted she had much practice with men, he recognized that Macy was hardly naïve of the world. She understood how cruel and mean it could be. Now he wanted to be the one to show her how much good there was in it.

What would she say if he asked her on a date? Would she shoot him down instantly or would she indulge her curiosity and say yes? Seeing how skittish she was now, Danny didn’t think the latter was very likely. He didn’t want her to feel disrespected by offering to take her out, not after he had just given her family all those gifts. He would hate for her to think that was the cost of his generosity.

“I suppose this is just one of those Christmas miracles you hear about this time of year.” He shrugged carelessly. “I’m sure the person who sent those gifts just wants to see your brother and sister smile while they play with their new toys.”

“You sound pretty sure of that.”

“Call it a hunch.”

She dragged her teeth along her lower lip. “You can keep up the Secret Santa charade if you want, but I know it was you, Danny. I just…I don’t know why.”

“Because I like your family,” he said matter-of-factly. “Colt and Hannah are nice kids. Your stepmother works hard, and she’s got the new baby.”

“What about my dad?”

His lips settled into a thin line. “What about your father?”

“You don’t like him.”

“No, I don’t. Do you?” He had often wondered how she felt about the man who treated her so poorly.

“He’s my dad. It doesn’t matter if I like him or not. I’m stuck with him.”

“You’re an adult. You could leave.”

She scoffed. “And go where? I don’t have any other family. The family I do have needs me now. Janie can’t work unless I’m here to watch the kids after class. Even if I could figure out a way to get out, what would I do for a job? I still have a semester of high school left. How would I pay for an apartment, a car, insurance and food while finishing school? “

He had that answer. It was simple enough.
Let me take care of you.

He didn’t dare utter the words.

“Did you see my dad tonight?”

Her question threw him. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Because I know what that means,” she said, gesturing to the tattoo on his neck.

“Is that so? And what does it mean?”

“It means you run around with that Russian gang.”

“I’m a bodyguard. I’m not in a gang.”

“Bullshit.”

It was the first time he had ever heard anything even close to cursing come out of that pretty mouth of hers. “If you know so much about this tattoo, then you know that I have nothing to do with your father’s habits.”

“No, that’s the Albanians.”

An unpleasant sensation invaded his chest. “How do you know about the Albanians?”

“A man came to the house last week looking for dad about a late payment.”

“A man? What man?”

“He said his name was Paulie.”

Of course. Paulie fought on the underground circuit as Besian’s champion and worked enforcement for the loan shark Afrim Barisha. “What else did he say? Did he ask for anything other than money?”

“He offered me a job at his boss’ club. He said I could pay off the debt in a few weeks as a waitress there.”

Fury burned through him. “The next time Paulie or any of that crew show up at your house, don’t open the door. You tell them to come find me, and I’ll deal with it. Under no circumstances are you
ever
to go anywhere with Paulie. Do you understand?”

She gulped. “Yes. Why? Is he dangerous?”

“Extremely,” he said, certain Paulie would treat her with total disrespect. “Do you know what club he meant?”

“I assumed he meant the social club where Dad gambles.”

“No,
milaya moya
.” He gently disabused her of that notion. “He meant one of the strip clubs that Besian owns. He meant places like Wet and Sugar’s.”

“What?” She recoiled with disgust. “Oh, that’s gross.”

He started to tell her that some women actually enjoyed working in places like that, especially when the money was good, but decided that her reaction was better. It was safer for her to think of the clubs as dens of iniquity. She wouldn’t be tempted by promises of big money that way. “Yes, they’re terrible places. Awful things happen to the girls who work there. Stay away from those clubs, Macy.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. I’ll stay away from places like that.”

“Good. Be sure that you do.”

“I will. I promise.”

“I’m holding you to that.”
In fact, I wish I was holding you right now.

A high-pitched wail pierced the wall they shared. She made an apologetic face. “Oh my God, Danny! I had no idea you could hear the kids making that much noise over here! I’ll try to keep them quiet from now on.”

“Don’t even worry about,” he hurriedly reassured her. “They’re kids. They’re supposed to be noisy. If I wanted peace and quiet, I would buy a house. No, I actually like the constant sound. It reminds me of the flat where I grew up.”

“Do you ever think about going back?”

“Not as much anymore,” he said. “There’s nothing for me there.”

“No family?”

He shook his head. “The only family I have is here. My uncle is the one who encouraged me to come here when my time in the army was done.”

“You were a soldier?”

He nodded. “It’s compulsory.”

“Oh. I guess you didn’t like it well enough to stay in long-term?”

“That life wasn’t for me.”

“But that one is?” She pointed to his tattoo again.

He ran his fingers over the ink that marked him as part of Nikolai’s family. “It’s complicated, Macy.”

She peered up at him for a long moment. “Someday you’ll tell me all about it.”

“I doubt that.”

“I don’t.” The baby started to cry again, and Macy sighed. “I need to get back over there. Janie needs me.”

“And what about you?” he asked as he followed her to the door. “What do you need, Macy? When do you have time to do what you want?”

“When the kids are a little older, I’ll have time to do the things I want to do. Right now, they need me.”

She talked like a mother. Danny couldn’t explain why her selfless sacrifice impressed him so much. There was such a gentle kindness within her. Even after all the violence and hardship she had known, Macy remained soft-hearted and always ready to give.

But who looked out for her? Who made sure she was getting what she needed?

“Danny?” She gripped the door handle but didn’t make a move to open it.

“Yes?”

“You said you like my brother and sisters and my stepmom.”

“I do.”

“And me?” she asked softly. “Do you like me?’

He swallowed hard. He kept his voice even, lest he reveal too much. “Yes.”

“As a friend?”

He tried to read her face. She sounded almost hopeful, but her eyes reflected panic and uncertainty. “Yes, I like you as a friend.”

Her smile faltered just the tiniest bit. “Okay.”

Cold air swirled around them when she opened the door while he was still trying to process her strange expression. Wondering if this was one of those moments in life where he needed to jump in with both feet, Danny put his hand against the door and shoved it back into place to stop her from escaping just yet. Confused by his action, she glanced up at him. “Danny?”

Taking a cautious step toward Macy, he boxed her in against the door and planted his hands on either side of her head. He was quite a bit taller than her so he had to lean down to reach her mouth. She inhaled a shuddery breath as his lips descended but didn’t break eye contact. He waited until the very last second to press his mouth to hers, giving her every possible chance to say no.

Her kittenish whimper sent a jolt of desire through his body. Those small hands of hers flew to his chest, and she gripped his shirt. He nuzzled their noses together for a brief moment before deepening the kiss. Ready to pull back the moment she indicated she didn’t want this, he pushed his tongue against the seam of her mouth and sought entrance.

His fucking toes curled against the floor when her soft tongue flicked against his. She slid her arms up his chest to ride the curves of his biceps before finally landing on his shoulders. He wound an arm around her tiny waist and hauled her against his body, wanting to feel the womanly heat of her pressing into him. Tangling his other hand in those gorgeous red waves, he kissed her with all the primal fire of a man finally tasting his personal heaven.

Cock hard and throbbing, he recognized it was time to back off and slow this down. He couldn’t have her like this, not tonight. If they were going to pursue a relationship, it had to be done the right way. She deserved to be loved slowly and gently, not lifted up against a door and fucked roughly. No, when it was time, he was going to spend hours lavishing every last millimeter of Macy’s body with attention.